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Aboard Going Merry.
A few days later, they arrived at the location indicated by the Log Pose aboard the going merry. Ace and his crew had reached their next destination...
"The sailing route is correct! We should be reaching the next island on the record pointer soon."
Nami stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the calm sea with a bright smile on her pretty face. It still felt like a dream to be navigating these waters with her friends, using her skills to fulfill her dream of charting a map of the entire world.
But the most important thing…
Nami's eyes subtly shifted towards Ace, who sat not far away, wearing the cloak carefully sewn by Kaya and sipping black tea blended perfectly by Raki. Her face flushed without her realizing it.
How could Ace, such a troublesome guy, receive such special treatment?
Thinking about the special training Ace had given her recently, Nami's heart was filled with confusion. Although she had become much stronger, the methods Ace used didn't seem like special training at all.
And using the powers of the Thunder Fruit, controlling it to the point where it only caused a tingling sensation—was that really the best way to train?
Nami's face turned even redder as she pursed her lips, clearly lost in thought. Her beautiful eyes, now filled with a new sense of maturity, glistened with a subtle charm that hadn't been there before.
"I've already recovered. Do I really still need this cloak and tea? With weather this nice, shouldn't we be drinking cold beer instead?" Ace said calmly to Kaya.
"No, Ace! Even though your recovery is faster than expected, you need to be cautious to avoid any lingering issues," Kaya replied, her face turning red as she nervously glanced at her medical book, trying to avoid Ace's gaze.
Her mind wandered to the special training Ace had given her during the voyage. While she had grown noticeably stronger, the nature of the training left her flustered. The mention of focusing on sensitive areas like the mouth and tongue for her Iron Body training made her heart race.
She blushed intensely, burying her face deeper in the book. Her little tongue briefly touched her lips as memories resurfaced, causing her face to burn even hotter.
Raki and Conis, noticing Kaya and Nami's strange behavior, blushed as well. Though their training under Ace had been more typical, they had their suspicions.
Conis and Raki glanced at Ace, their cheeks faintly pink.
"The captain's definitely being spoiled by the crew," Ace said lazily, but with a playful grin on his lips.
"Hmph!" Vivi cutely scrunched her nose at him, then hid behind Nojiko.
This troublemaker! she thought. Ace had told her that training with the Sand-Sand Fruit required precise control of its ability to absorb moisture. The thought of their training made her face flush.
Vivi ducked behind Nojiko, biting her lips, her mind occupied with the memory.
Meanwhile, Nojiko had temporarily handed over control of the going merry to the ship's spirit, Merry. Watching Ace, who was both grumbling and smug, made her blush as well.
What a scoundrel! she thought, remembering Ace's individualized training for her. He had said that hand speed and breathing coordination were the most critical skills for a sniper.
Nojiko bit her lip as memories of the training surfaced. Her normally mature and composed demeanor seemed to fade, replaced by a more vulnerable expression.
At the same time, Robin, who had been reading a history book, set it aside, her face slightly flushed. She knew well enough about the training Ace had given the girls. After all, he hadn't prevented her from using her Devil Fruit abilities to observe.
Perhaps he wanted her to familiarize herself with the situation? she wondered, taking a sip of black tea to compose herself. Though she had grown stronger, the subtle smile on Ace's face made her blush even more.
Robin quickly took another sip of tea to hide her embarrassment. Yet, deep down, she didn't seem to mind it. Her lips curled into a soft smile.
"Nami, what's going on? Why's everyone acting so weird?" Tashigi asked cutely while carefully polishing her sword, Shigure. Noticing how quiet the ship had become, she tilted her head in confusion.
No one responded.
Nami took out a map and reviewed their navigation route. Nojiko resumed control of the going merry. Vivi adjusted the sail as if fine-tuning their course. Kaya hid her face deeper into her medical book. Conis tuned her harp, while Raki started sorting the ingredients. Robin quietly drank more tea.
Suddenly, the ship swayed, and Tashigi let out a scream.
"Vivi! Stop messing with the sail!" Nami yelled, her face red.
"It's not just my fault! Nojiko wasn't steering the rudder properly either!" Vivi shouted back, her face also flushed.
"Nami, you didn't even double-check the route. We've gone off course!" Nojiko added, her face also growing red.
Conis rushed to grab her flying harp, while Raki accidentally tore a bag of pepper, causing her to sneeze repeatedly. Kaya, realizing her medical book was upside down, blushed deeply, while Robin, in her distraction, spilled tea on herself.
It was clear that the girls had been preoccupied with thoughts unrelated to their tasks moments ago...
"Haha!"
Ace laughed at the scene, earning immediate glares from the blushing girls.
It's all your fault! You're still laughing so shamelessly?!
"Oh, I get it. This is all because of Ace's 'special training'... Wah!" Tashigi started to say, only to have Nami, Vivi, Kaya, and Nojiko rush over to cover her mouth.
After a moment, they let her go, and she looked at them, her eyes pleading for mercy.
"Look! There's a frog swimming freely over there," Ace suddenly said, pointing towards the distance.
"What a lame excuse... Wait, are there really frogs swimming here?" The girls, initially skeptical, followed Ace's gaze and were stunned.
Sure enough, a giant frog was swimming freely in the waves.
"Froak!"
Suddenly, a loud whistle echoed across the sea, and the giant frog seemed to go berserk, swimming even more furiously.
"Haha, this is interesting! Let's see what that frog's up to," Ace said, laughing.
The frog, as it turned out, had once been a pet of Tom's Workers. After the tragic death of Tom and Franky, it started challenging the Sea Train every day, resulting in countless scars on its body. Its spirit was remarkable—stronger than many of the lowly pirates on the sea.
The girls, intrigued by both the frog and the distant whistle, quickly regained focus. They swiftly resumed their roles and began steering the going merry towards the giant frog.
"Woo!"
As the ship approached, accompanied by the piercing whistle and the sound of tracks colliding, a massive black train appeared on the horizon, cutting through the waves like a steam engine.
"This is a sea train from Water 7! I can't believe this mode of transport actually exists!" Nami exclaimed as she pulled out a logbook.
"It's incredible that something so massive can travel across the sea," Kaya added, her eyes shining with amazement.
The sea was indeed full of wonders, far beyond anything she'd read in books.
It's really great to be the ship's doctor on Ace's crew, she thought, her heart fluttering. Maybe next time during special training, I should be more proactive.
Kaya's blush deepened even further.
"Amazing!"
Raki and Conis marveled at the sight of the sea train moving across the water like a monster.
"This sea is so much vaster than the White-White Sea. It's hard to believe something like this even exists!" Conis added in awe.
"Look at that frog!" Nami suddenly shouted.
The girls turned to see a giant frog standing in the way of the sea train, adopting a classic sumo stance.
"It doesn't really think it can stop the sea train, does it?" Vivi exclaimed.
"I think it might," Nojiko said, pointing to the numerous scars on the frog's body. "Looks like it's been doing this for a while."
"Will it get crushed?" Robin asked in her usual unsettling tone.
"Stop with the horror stories!" Vivi shuddered at the thought.
"Froakii!"
The giant frog let out a loud croak before lunging at the sea train.
"Boom!"
The sound of the impact reverberated as the frog flew into the air, legs kicking as it slowly sank beneath the waves.
The girls looked on in disbelief at the once-energetic frog now sinking to the depths of the sea.
"Haha, what a brave creature," Ace said, laughing but with a hint of admiration in his eyes. "It might be weak, but it sure has guts to face down a sea train."
"Well, it does have courage," Nami nodded, watching as the frog disappeared into the water. "There might be more to this story."
The girls, using their Observation Haki, confirmed that the frog wasn't in any real danger. Despite its recklessness, it earned their respect for its sheer bravery.
"Whoosh!"
The sea train sped past them, moving toward a nearby station. A sign reading "Shift Station" appeared as the station came into view.
At the station, a young girl with green pigtails, wearing far too much lipstick for her age, poked her head out. She was barefoot, holding her shoes in one hand, and beside her was a small blue rabbit-like pet.
"Granny! Pirates are coming!" she shouted toward the station, looking at the going merry's pirate flag.
"What? Pirates? Are you sure, Chimney?"
A slurred voice responded from inside the station.
"Quick, hand me the phone snail! We need to sound the alarm—"
Before the old woman could finish, she staggered out of the station. She wore a stationmaster's hat, shared the same hair color as the little girl, and her face was adorned with equally bold lipstick. Clearly drunk, she stumbled forward, attempting to grab the phone snail from the girl.
Thud!
She tripped and fell flat on her face.
The girls exchanged glances, speechless.
"Haha, what a funny old lady. If we were actually dangerous pirates, you wouldn't even have time to sound the alarm," Ace said, chuckling.
The old woman, Granny Kokoro, used to be a mermaid who worked in Tom's shipbuilding studio. She admired Tom so much that she left Fish-Man Island to work in the Capital of Water 7. Over time, she married a human and had children, making her granddaughter Chimney one-quarter mermaid.
When Ace looked at the now-old and bloated Kokoro, he couldn't help but think how ironic it was that beautiful women from the past turned out like this as they aged. Oda's sense of humor was truly something else.
"Oh? From the sound of it, you don't seem like train robbers," Granny Kokoro said with a burp, her eyes bleary from drink.
"Of course not," Nami smiled, raising her arm to show her log pose. "This is the first time we've seen a sea train. We're just passing through on our way to the Capital of Water 7."
"Haha, I see," Granny Kokoro chuckled.
Ace then pointed to the bottle of wine in her hand and smiled. "I must say, Granny, that wine of yours doesn't exactly smell top-tier."
"Huh? This is fine wine! You're just trying to trick me into giving it to you, aren't you?" she teased, grinning.
"Not at all. But why not try this instead?" Ace said, motioning for Raki, who handed him a carefully brewed bottle of their own wine.
"Whoosh!"
Without hesitation, Ace tossed the bottle to the already tipsy Granny Kokoro, who, despite her drunken state, caught it effortlessly.
The girls could only sigh as they watched.
Granny Kokoro popped the cork and took a hefty swig. "This is... good stuff!"
"Well, it was brewed by the best chef on the Grand Line," Ace said, laughing. Raki blushed slightly at the compliment.
Granny Kokoro, now even more pleased, grinned. "Anyone who can make wine this good can't be bad people."
Soon after, Chimney introduced herself and told them about the frog they had seen earlier. Raki brought out some snacks for Chimney, who was thrilled by the treat.
Granny Kokoro took another sip of wine and then asked, "So, you want to make some modifications to your ship?"
"That's right," Nojiko answered. "the going merry is a bit overwhelmed by the Grand Line's challenges. Isn't that right, Merry?"
The ship spirit, Merry, who had taken the form of a little girl, nodded eagerly.
Granny Kokoro stared at Merry in shock. "A ship spirit with such a high level of freedom... this is incredible!"
"Hello! I'm Merry, Ace's ship spirit," the little girl waved politely.
Granny Kokoro blinked, still amazed. "To see a ship spirit like this... it shows how much you care for the ship."
With that, she handed Ace a map of the Capital of Water 7 and a letter of introduction. "I'm an old friend of Iceberg, the head of the Galley-La Company—the best shipwrights in the city. Show him this letter, and he'll help you."
"Also, if you can't find a shipwright there, don't forget to check out some of the street gangs. Some of them are secretly skilled shipbuilders," she added, her respect for those who cared for ships evident.
Taking the letter of introduction, Ace and his crew continued their journey towards the Capital of Water 7.